Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy (Venezia Giulia IGT)
Grapes: 80% Chardonnay, 20% Friulano
Body: Medium to Full
Notes: Ripe apricot, baked golden apples, sweet baking spice, wild mint, a touch of resin, with a soothingly round texture, firm stony minerality, and a grippy, structural finish
Pairing: Roasted chicken with butter and tarragon, oily fish (like grilled mackerel), sushi, spicy global noodle dishes, or complex blue cheeses
The Producer
Radikon is a legendary, towering pillar of the global natural and skin-contact wine movements, located in the village of Oslavia in the far northeastern corner of Italy near the Slovenian border. The estate skyrocketed to cult status under the late Stanko Radikon, a radical pioneer who in the mid-1990s completely abandoned conventional modern methods. He revived ancient, ancestral techniques—embracing extreme skin maceration for white varieties, shifting to organic and biodynamic viticulture, entirely discarding added sulfur, and even introducing the iconic 500ml and 1-liter bottle formats to the domain. Today, the 12-hectare estate is masterfully steered by Stanko’s son, Saša Radikon. Saša brilliantly continues his father's zero-compromise approach on their signature low-yield vineyards, which are rooted in ponka—a highly unique, mineral-dense compressed clay marl and sandstone soil that imparts an indelible structural frame to their wines.
The Wine
The 2023 "Slatnik" (named after a nearby village) belongs to Saša’s highly acclaimed "S" line, which he created to complement his father’s historic, long-aged flagships. Engineered as a more accessible and approachable doorway into the dense world of heavy maceration, the white grapes—an organic, low-yield co-fermentation of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Friulano—undergo a shorter skin-contact period of 10 to 14 days in large oak vats driven by native wild yeasts. The juice is then moved to mature for roughly 12 to 18 months in large 3,500-liter neutral Slavonian oak botti before spending a brief unifying period in tank. Unlike the flagship line, the "S" wines are bottled in a traditional 750ml format and receive a tiny, minute addition of sulfur at bottling for stability. Born from a rainy growing season that preserved exceptional freshness, this highly scannable 2023 vintage masterfully marries a deep amber-gold hue and textural, white-tea tannins with a laser-sharp alpine acidity, crunchy orchard fruits, and an enveloping, sea-salted mineral depth.
Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy (Venezia Giulia IGT)
Grapes: 80% Chardonnay, 20% Friulano
Body: Medium to Full
Notes: Ripe apricot, baked golden apples, sweet baking spice, wild mint, a touch of resin, with a soothingly round texture, firm stony minerality, and a grippy, structural finish
Pairing: Roasted chicken with butter and tarragon, oily fish (like grilled mackerel), sushi, spicy global noodle dishes, or complex blue cheeses
The Producer
Radikon is a legendary, towering pillar of the global natural and skin-contact wine movements, located in the village of Oslavia in the far northeastern corner of Italy near the Slovenian border. The estate skyrocketed to cult status under the late Stanko Radikon, a radical pioneer who in the mid-1990s completely abandoned conventional modern methods. He revived ancient, ancestral techniques—embracing extreme skin maceration for white varieties, shifting to organic and biodynamic viticulture, entirely discarding added sulfur, and even introducing the iconic 500ml and 1-liter bottle formats to the domain. Today, the 12-hectare estate is masterfully steered by Stanko’s son, Saša Radikon. Saša brilliantly continues his father's zero-compromise approach on their signature low-yield vineyards, which are rooted in ponka—a highly unique, mineral-dense compressed clay marl and sandstone soil that imparts an indelible structural frame to their wines.
The Wine
The 2023 "Slatnik" (named after a nearby village) belongs to Saša’s highly acclaimed "S" line, which he created to complement his father’s historic, long-aged flagships. Engineered as a more accessible and approachable doorway into the dense world of heavy maceration, the white grapes—an organic, low-yield co-fermentation of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Friulano—undergo a shorter skin-contact period of 10 to 14 days in large oak vats driven by native wild yeasts. The juice is then moved to mature for roughly 12 to 18 months in large 3,500-liter neutral Slavonian oak botti before spending a brief unifying period in tank. Unlike the flagship line, the "S" wines are bottled in a traditional 750ml format and receive a tiny, minute addition of sulfur at bottling for stability. Born from a rainy growing season that preserved exceptional freshness, this highly scannable 2023 vintage masterfully marries a deep amber-gold hue and textural, white-tea tannins with a laser-sharp alpine acidity, crunchy orchard fruits, and an enveloping, sea-salted mineral depth.
What is natural wine?
Natural wine is wine made with minimal intervention from the winemaker, using organically or biodynamically grown grapes and without the addition of chemicals or additives such as sulfites. The result is a wine that is unique, expressive, and often has a more complex and nuanced flavor profile than conventional wines. Natural wine is also often associated with sustainable and ethical farming practices, making it a popular choice for those interested in environmentally friendly and socially responsible products.